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PDA AND THE IRAQ VOTE: Don't Mourn, Organize!

May 25, 2007

The Democratic leadership’s capitulation to an unpopular White House – giving a blank check for a military occupation that most Americans and most Iraqis want ended – is a teachable moment. And a moment for action.

And there’s good news: Within hours of the votes on Capitol Hill, Progressive Democrats of America had decided to endorse two progressive candidates for open seats in Congress: one in Massachusetts, one in Southern California.

What was taught by his week’s failure of leadership in Congress? That a transformation of the Democratic Party will be needed to end war and imperial foreign policy and foster social justice and sustainability in our country. It requires that the base of the party and the social movements that animate that base elect Members of Congress who come out of these movements.

That’s why PDA is endorsing two candidates who each have a good chance of entering Congress through special elections this year. Both are movement progressives committed to: 

• ending the Iraq occupation.
• HR 676, single-payer nonprofit National Health Insurance.
• fair trade, not corporate-drafted “free trade” treaties.
• clean, transparent elections.
• aggressive investigation/accountability of the imperial White House.

Meet JAMIE ELDRIDGE the only Clean Elections candidate ever elected to the Massachusetts State House. He is a former Legal Aid attorney, and a longtime activist for social justice. Jamie was a strong presence last night on PDA’s national conference call involving dozens of PDA activists. He will be on the Sept. 4 special election ballot for the Massachusetts 5th district seat (Lowell, Lawrence, Haverhill) being vacated by Democrat Marty Meehan.

Meet PETER MATHEWS, a respected community activist and popular college professor well-known in his district. In the ethnically-diverse 37th district of California (Long Beach, Carson, Compton, South L.A., Willowbrook), Peter is a person of Indian descent who speaks Spanish. He made an impressive appearance at PDA’s candidate forum last week, and has been a longtime PDA activist. He will be on the June 26 special election ballot – only weeks away – for the seat left vacant by the death of Juanita Millender-McDonald.

PDA is disappointed, but not disillusioned, by what happened on Capitol Hill yesterday. That’s because we were never illusioned. We knew the Iraq occupation would not be ended within months of the
Democratic victory last November. We know that electing a Democratic majority is not the answer. What we need is a Progressive majority inside, backed by powerful grassroots movements outside.

Help us build this progressive majority. We’ll be working hard in support of Jamie and Peter. Please make a quick, generous donation to PDA so we can support these strong progressive candidates. (Please, enter PAF in the Fund Drive box on the donation page.)